Monty's is one of the hippest and most exclusive venues in Jakarta at the moment. The day I visited, you had 1 Ferrari, 1 Lamborghini, 2 Porsches, 2 Jaguars and several nice sports cars parked just in front. That should give you an idea of the crowd.

It was opened by Klabo, the same group behind Nip & Dram and Ivy Kitchen. From what I've heard, the owner of Blue Bird Taxis is one of the shareholders.

The Restaurant

On the first two floors is a restaurant serving classic European food. They have all the priciest ingredients that you can possibly import in Indonesia such as caviar, lobster, truffle, charcuterie, cheese or wagyu beef. There also serve several organic and healthy dishes.

The kitchen is headed by a Norwegian expat who previously worked in Grand Hyatt as an executive sous-chef. The price is rather expensive: On average for a 2-course meal you'll spend at least Rp500,000 (without alcohol). You can try it for lunch as they have a 2-course set menu for a little less than Rp300,000 net. Unfortunately it's the price for decent food in this area of Jakarta.

The Lounge

On the third floor, you have a "secret" speakeasy lounge / whisky bar with very dim lighting and chic ambiance. You should really make a reservation in advance as it is fully-booked most of the time. They have live bands from Wednesday to Saturday playing covers of famous pop songs. Wednesday is the busiest and most-recommended night.

It has a capacity of around 60 people. You have to spend at least 5M rupiah to get a sofa (10 pax) or 3,5M rupiah to get a table (4 pax). If you want to drink by the glass, you need to sit by the bar but the available space is scarce and they might not let you in if it's full.

I think that this is the kind of place where either you have the money and you book a sofa, or you don't have it and you just go somewhere else.

Overall

If you want to network among the Indonesian elite, I advise you to spend a few nights in the whisky bar. People all seem to know each other and they are pretty relaxed, easy to talk to. Quite many girls as well. Large collection of expensive whiskies. If you are Muslim, beware because the bar only serves alcohol drinks.